Boy linden hill and archibald j



UNITED STATES PATENT orr on nor LINDE HILL ANnAJacHIBAm J.- STRANE, OF TAMAQUA, PENNSYLVANIA, 'ASSIGNORS TO ATLAS POWDER COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

nxrtosrvn oomPoUNn. 7

1,307,495. 1 !0 Drawing.

Compounds, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to BXPlOSlVQ m xtures and more particularly: to those explosive mlxtures known as safety mixtures,

wherein a prime object is to render-the explosive relatively safe in handling.

. There. is an extensive demand for explosives which do not contain nitroglycer n or other organic nitrates, these explosives being commonly known as safety powders. Widespread attempts have been made tosatisfythedemand with explosives which contain ammonium nitrate as the principal ingredient. Among other ingredients that have been used are nitro-aromaticsgcombustible but not explosive carbonaceous materials, and various inorganic salts.

While explosives of the nature referred topresent. a great improvement over those con taining an organic nitrate,- as far as safety. in handling. is" concerned, they frequently present the. very great objection of lack of sen'sitivene'ss to theinltlal detonatimi and in ablit-y to..'propagate it. To offset this objec-' tionithas been necessary to take extensive precautions during, the manufacture of the ex losive with respect t0 the incorporation an freedom from moisture ofthe materials "used and themethods of packing the same.

' While satisfactoryexplosives have been proexplosives from becoming hard by introducduced' asa result of these precautions. such explosives frequently become hard. "This 'sensitiveness, occasionally to theextent of failure to detonate even with, the strongest cap? .e havefound that we can prevent such ing int'o their com osition certain amounts of copper sulfate varying fromfive-tenths.

to ten per cent. from which thewater of crystallization has. been partlyor" com-' I gredient,

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11119 24 1919. Application filed November 1, 1918. Serial No. 260,631. I

may compositionsof the nature described:

' Ammonium nitrate 88 per cent.

Trinitrotoluene 10 per cent. a Copper sulfate 2 per cent.

Having thus clearly set forth the essential features of our invention and shown by ex ample how the same may be ap lied, what we claim and desire to secure by tters Patent of the United States is to understood that the invention is not 7 limited thereto because the'copper sulfate-- be advantageously employed in other.

1. d An explosive comprising copper sulfate and ammonium nitrate as its principal in- 2. An explosive comprising copper sulfate andammonlum nltrate'as its principal ingredient and which'is'free of-organic ni-.

trate. I

3. An explosive comprising copper sulfat'e from which the water ofcrystallizationhas heen;rremoved and ammonium nitrate.

: 4. 1m explosive comprising 'from five-- tenths percent. to ten per cent.'of copper sulfate from which the'water of crystallization has been removed and ammonium ni-' trate, 5. An expl'osive comprising from fivetenthsj per cent. to ten per .cent. of copper. sulfate fro which the water of crystallize -tion-hasbeen at least partly removed and ammonium nitrate, the latter constituting. .the principal'ingr'edient.

In testimony whereof we 'aflix our sig'natures n the presence of two-withesses. ROY LIND NHILLJ ARCHIBALD' J. STRANE.

Witnessesz. i 1 i. WM. H. WoonwnLL,

HARRY, J. KRAMER. 

